


Burnside Avenue

by SockWantsToDie



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Anger, Bitterness, Breaking and Entering, Complicated Relationships, Control Issues, Crazy Patrick Hockstetter, Dark Past, Developing Friendships, Everyone Has Issues, F/M, Fights, First Love, Frustration, Gen, Harassment, Hate to Love, Henry Bowers Being an Asshole, Love/Hate, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Obsessive Behavior, Secrets, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Stalking, Teenage Drama, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 14:04:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15708729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SockWantsToDie/pseuds/SockWantsToDie
Summary: [Patrick Hockstetter x Genderless Reader]Things that have happened in my life aren't all that easy to explain to others. But, that hasn't managed to stop a certain Bowers Gang boy from trying to get them out in the open.





	1. Welcome to Derry!

As the school year drew to a close, the days seemed to grow longer. It was becoming a time where students are overloaded with the end of year tests and last minute projects. A really inconvenient time if you ask me, especially when it comes to moving to a new school district. Which is apparently why my parents waited until the summer to spring it on me that we were picking up and leaving.

Please note that, in all honesty, I wouldn't have had a problem with moving in the first place if they had just told me right off the bat of their plans. It's not like I had much of a reason to stick around anymore given the year's events and all. But my parents waited until the very week we were supposed to move to finally notify me.

I sat hunched over with my arms crossed loosely over my chest and my temple pressed against the backseat window. I watched as various trees and plants, along with the black pavement the car drove on, all pass by at a fast pace. It was something that I would've appreciated if I wasn't so tired. In the background the radio played a random slow song, and it seemed to be the only barrier between deafening silence and the low hum of the driving car itself.

I can feel my eyelids growing heavy and soon enough without my given permission, they began to fall closed. And if they had been all the way shut, I would've missed the little white sign that reads "Welcome to Derry!" In red lettering. My eyes open back up and I take the fleeting moment of us driving by to acknowledge the decal flowers and vines that decorated the corners of the words on the upper left and lower right. It seemed that someone had even tied a balloon to the pole, a little red thing that echoed the sign's message as it bobbed in the wind.

I lift my head up off of the window and sit in a lazy upright position. I take a moment to wipe my eyes with a single hand.

"We're here." Mama chimes gleefully

I repress a sneer that threatens to cross my features the second she opens her mouth, letting out that sickly cheerful voice of hers. Against my better wishes, I watch as my mother turns around in her seat to look at me. She offers me a weak smile and even extends her hand out to me, reaching for my similarly sized hand. I begrudgingly allow her to take it, but turn my gaze back to where it had originally been, out the window. I admit that I felt my stomach drop when I came to realize that the open woods no longer danced past our car; and it was just differently shaped pastel colored houses that lined either side of us now.

I felt the car rolling to a stop at a random stop sign, and I once again turned my attention forward upon feeling my mother retracting her hand from mine. I watch as she turns back around in her seat so that she could face forward.

Boredly, my eyes wander over to the red stop sign on the crossroad we'd stopped at. The streets were generally quite empty, and there were kids who could only be slightly younger than me biking down the street on my right. My eyes follow them as they ride, and it was at that point that I noticed the street sign sitting on the left side of the car. "Burnside Avenue" was what was printed in squarish white lettering on a green sign.

The car suddenly begins to drive once again, and Dad pulls down that specific street, catching me by surprise as my body leans to the right. My eyes turn upward towards the rear view mirror, where I noticed him glancing up at me.

"Well," He begins, trying to break the ice "Who's ready for some unpacking?"

Mama turns her head and offers him a smile while I just cross my arms over my chest and shake my head at them in disappointment. The car rolls to a stop outside a decently sized two-story house that was painted a shade of a pale red. There was already a U-Haul truck parked in the gravel driveway, where a couple men were unloading various things. Upon seeing that my black dresser had already been set on the lawn, I couldn't help but feel my mood sour further.

"Look kiddaroo, I'm sorry we had to move." Dad tells me as he shuts the car off and pulls the keys out of the ignition.

My attention snaps up to his face as a fire ignites in my stomach. I land an abrupt and harsh blow to the backseat passenger door beside me in a fit of useless rage.

"You're not sorry, you liar!" I argue "If you were sorry then I wouldn't have been blamed for everything!"

My parents both flinch at my sudden outburst, but quickly regain their composure. I watch with a bitter taste in my mouth as Dad turns around in his seat.

"Nobody's blaming anybody, kidaroo." He assures me calmly "What happened, happened. Nobody's saying you-"

"Yes, they were!" I shout "None of the other girls had to move!"

"[First Name] I-"

I was already done with this conversation. I unbuckle my seat belt, feeling as if I was going to break something the longer I listened to them make excuses. I reach over to the opposite side of the backseat and grab the strap of my backpack. I come dangerously close to breaking the strap as I hook it over my shoulder, whilst I bitterly opening the door on my side of the van and climb out. Mama tries to call out to me through the car, but I just slam the door shut. I storm across the grass and up into the U-Haul truck. The two strangers were on their way down in front of me, and I stood to the side, impatiently waiting as they unloaded my mothers wooden vanity.

I stomp up the ramp after the two men are finally off of it. I hadn't bothered to learn their names at that time, but later that day I discovered that their names were Tim and Allen, so that's what I'm gonna refer to them as until we get there.

I grab a random box that I had scribbled my name onto and walk down the ramp, heading over to the front door. Dad and Mama had gotten out of the car by this point, and immediately went to start helping Tim and Allen with unloading in general.

I squish the box between the door and myself so that I could free up a hand to try the doorknob. It was indeed open, and I almost dropped my box when the door nearly flung open. But, I managed to gather the box back in my arms, which was a relief. I stepped inside of what was presumably the living room, and take a moment to look around, before acknowledging the stairs. I scoff at how small they were but still make my way over and up them. The wood croaks and cries as I trudge up, planting one foot in front of the other, not bothering to acknowledge the carpet that lined the steps.

Upon reaching the top, I glance around, before picking a random direction to walk in. I continue throwing my head from side to side, trying to pick out which room I wanted to claim, before settling on the only one farthest down the short hallway that was on the left. I enter it, and plop the box down by the closet with a sigh. I shake my aching arms out, trying to get them to loosen up before I let the bag slip down from my shoulder and hit the wood floor beside the box.

Maybe that physical therapist was right after all. Damn, in that case I really needed to get back into exercising again.

I look away from the box and pivot as my eyes land on the large, horizontal rectangle of a window that I would have now. It seemed to be covered with some blinds, which was nice because I wouldn't have to go buy new ones, but they still let some light pour in. Regardless, I was interested. I trudge over to the large window, taking a moment to casually grab the cord and pull it down. In response, the blinds slide upward, folding over each other with a gentle screech as I pulled. It was a bay window, which was a nice new touch since I hadn't realized before.

I lean over, placing my palms on the outward-jutting windowsill. I could see about three or four houses in front of me, and a few more as I turned my head in either direction. The homes in this town weren't anything special compared to the obnoxiously extravagant ones that used to surround me, and I had to admit that it was a nice change. I peer down at the lawn, eyes scanning it until they fell on those that I was looking for. Dad was helping Tim carry some boxes in whilst Mama engaged Allen in a conversation about who knows what. Curiously, my eyes ventured over to the other side of the road, where my eyes land on something a bit unnerving.

There stood a boy, staring directly at me with piercing eyes. I couldn't tell what color they were from the distance I was at but it didn't matter anyway. My body locked up against my will when a saw a grin stretch across his face. I scan him, sizing him up almost by default. But that was before the stranger distracted me by raising a single hand up to wave at me. It was a motion that caused the corner of the tan shirt, the one that had a light purple flower surrounded in pale green leaves, to hike up just a bit. His other hand just remains flat against at his side, barely twitching at the movement. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black skinny jeans, after having finished his waving, but that wasn't what he caught me off guard with. What caught me off guard was how he shot me a wink and opened his mouth, snapping his teeth at me like a dog would a piece of meat dangling overhead, before his form shook with laughter and he dragged his tongue along his top and bottom lips in a suggestive manor. I felt myself jerk back in surprise, but for some reason, perhaps out of anger or stubbornness, I remained standing at the window.

'What the fuck?' Is all I could ask myself as he chomped at me

Suddenly, his ratty black combat boots that somehow still shined in the sunlight, moved; his feet turning him in a different direction. He began walking down the sidewalk, going god-knows-where. From what I could tell, he still wore the same unnerving grin on his face as he walked away, but who knows?

Now feeling greatly unnerved as his left, I finally recoiled, snapping out of my stupid daze of curiosity. I reach over and grab the cord, taking a moment to yank it so the blinds would come down. Sure, they ended up going all the way down and almost fell down off of their holders, but I didn't care. I didn't want to see any more of that freak for as long as I was stuck in this town.

"Hey kidaroo,"

I let out a cry of surprise and jump upright, almost going through the ceiling as I spin around, slapping one hand over my heart whilst the other caught my almost-falling self on the windowsill. My dad steps forward trying to reach out to catch me as I stumbled, but he retracts his hand with a chuckle upon realizing that I'm fine.

"Well kidaroo, sorry to scare you. I just came up to check on you," He tells me "See if you'd decided on a room yet."

"Yeah, I did." I tell him passive-aggressively

I straighten myself back on my feet, quickly regaining my balance. I let out a small sigh of annoyance as I cross my arms over my chest by default and give him something of a half-assed glare. Dad raises his hands up in defense in a relaxed manor, silently calling for a truce.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were still on vacation in 'tude-central." He remarks, jokingly "Anyway, I'll be downstairs helping Tim and Allen load things into the house with your mother if you need anything."

"Sure, Dad." I reply in a stand-offish manor

Dad spins around and walks out of the door, and I turn away to look back at the window. But I'm stopped when his hand grips the door frame, pulling him back just enough for his head to peak into the doorway. His eyebrows knit together as he frowned a rare frown.

"You know that we really don't blame you for any of what happened, right?" He asked me quietly "And that we love you very much?"

I sigh once again, it being much softer than my previously anger-driven ones. My arms loosen up from their tight cage that I had locked them in, and before they even completely uncross, I lift one up to run that hand through my messy hair.

"Yeah, I know." I tell him gently

I feel tempted to say anything, maybe even tell him that I was sorry. But instead, I choose to bite the words back, choking on them after they revert back down my throat as he smiles at me; before disappearing from my door frame. I didn't owe an apology to anyone. I made that very clear when I had those handcuffs slapped on my wrists all those months ago, earlier in the school year.

Either way, before my head can begin it's unwilling plunge down the rabbit hole that my memories resided in, I swat away the metaphoric thoughts that swarmed around me. Instead, I shrugged it off, figuring that I'd deal with things later if they came up, 'cause I just wanted to get my room unpacked and together.

Maybe Mama was right. Maybe a new start would be good for me.


	2. "Making Adjustments"

It had taken me at least a week and a half to completely finish unpacking all of my things and get my new room at least somewhat set up. Even managed to convince my parents to let me paint over the dirty white walls with a [favorite color] paint. I guess I should be slightly thankful that they were sporadically decorated with random unexplainable stains and skid marks, since it definitely helped me get my way. Although, it was still going to be a few days more before I could do that since my parents still had yet to get jobs that could allow us to purchase the paint I need. But I digress.

Either way, I was beginning to grow accustomed to this idea of moving into a new house barely two states away from my old one.

Moving on to more present things, I should most likely mention that while I'd been busy setting up my room to my liking, my parents had been going around Derry meeting our neighbors and our neighbor's friends throughout the town. I guess the town was a very small tight-knit community where everyone knew everyone. Regardless, it was their way of getting themselves familiarized with the neighborhood and it's residents. Speaking of which, since some of the neighbors or neighbor's friends had kids, they had tried bringing me along on numerous occasions, but I just wasn't ready to be bombarded with an overwhelming amount of new faces just yet. I hate people, and that freak I'd seen on my first day here didn't help nudge my opinion in a different direction. Thankfully, my parents didn't force me to go, which was either because of what happened with the last group of friends I had or because they are aware how I am in situations I don't want to be in.

I stifle a pointless frown at the thought and shake my head, since I didn't have a reason, or really, anything physical to get angry at, besides the thought of those—

_Dammit._

I take another bite of my sandwich. It was the ham and cheese one that I had put together downstairs not too long ago. Loudly, my stereo blasts a random song by  _Anthrax_ through its speakers.

"[First Name]!" I barely hear underneath my music

I perk up and reach over to my large nightstand, taking the volume nozzle on the bulky black and silver stereo between my thumb and middle finger as I speedily turn the volume down. I practically choke down my most recent bite of my 'sammich before dropping it back on the plate. I take a moment to scoot over to the edge of my bed as my mom once again shouts my name to me and scramble over to my bedroom door.

"[First Name], I know you're up there!" She shouts again

A small frustrated huff escapes me as I grab the doorknob and turn it so that I could throw my door open and peak my head out into the hallway.

"Yeah?" I finally yell back to her downstairs

I wait a moment for her to tell me what she wants, but quickly grow impatient when she says absolutely nothing. I seriously _hated_ when my parents did that. With a small groan of minor irritation, I reluctantly step out into the hallway, my slippers filling the bit of quiet that lasted for only a few steps before the TV downstairs was switched on. I round the corner and quickly start to lean against the upstairs railing, looking down towards the door where Mama stood. She had busied herself with slipping her shoes off whilst Dad had already plopped himself down onto the brown leather couch in front of the TV that currently showed a basketball game that was in progress. I had no idea who, because I was never really much of a sports person but whatever. My mom turns her head up, the words leaving her mouth before she sees me.

"[First Na—],  _oh._ " She smiles to herself and shakes her head "There you are."

I raise a single eyebrow at her, my face remaining as blank as it possibly could as I watch her, unamused.

"What did you want?" I ask, in a much warmer tone than even I had expected

Mama tugs one shoe off, finally, and sets it down on the dirty old rubber mat that seemed to always remain overflowing with various shoes from everyone in the house, including some of mine. I adjust my position on the railing, shifting my weight over to one foot as I tilt my head and rest it on a raised palm as I wait for her to give me an answer.

"I wanted to let you know that we're going over to a barbecue that one of our neighbors is throwing for us." She explains, before suddenly adding "The Hockstetters."

"Who?" I question, my eyebrows moving to knit together in confusion

"The Hockstetters." She repeats "They insisted on throwing an introductory barbecue to help us get better acquainted with everyone."

"Where at?" I continue prodding, growing more suspicious

Mama finally straightens up to look up at me, her neck craning upwards just a bit as she watches me with a slightly agitated look. My gaze immediately hardens as I become defensive, I could almost swear that my subconscious had been practically  _begging_  for some sort of fight since the one I'd had with my parents before we had left [Hometown].

"It doesn't matter where, because you're going." She tells me firmly "I know you aren't that happy about moving. But that doesn't mean shut yourself in your room all the time until school starts up again."

I straighten up almost immediately, the palm that I had originally been resting my head on smacks down onto the wooden railing that my elbows had originally lied on, and I grip it tightly. My teeth grit together as I struggle to bite my tongue, so that I wouldn't say anything that I could seriously regret, but that didn't stop me from letting one thing slip out. I was " _irresponsibly impulsive_ ", after all.

" _I didn't **ask** to move._" I snap, coldly

Mama had gone back to removing her other shoe as the small silence had settled over us. But when she manages to slip out of it, it seems to be the exact second that I finally say something in response to her. I watch as the shoe flies off just a little ways away from her, sailing over the mat and into the doorless dining room. She releases a detectable huff that prompts Dad to look over at her, silently checking on her once he heard the thump. But, he goes back to the game when he realizes that she's perfectly fine, I think. Slowly, Mama turns to me with clenched fists that soften up after a deep breath and a small ocean-y motion once she completely looks up at me. With another breath she takes a few steps away from the door and closer to me, which forces her to look up higher.

"Honey, I know you aren't happy about it, and I'm not happy with it either." She explains as calmly as she can "But I didn't want you to be hurt."

I grip the railing tighter as a burning feeling begins to bloom in my chest, drying it out and suffocating me as I open my mouth.

" ** _Hurt?_**  I—" I begin to shout, but she reaches a small silencing hand out to me 

"I just want to make sure that you get as adjusted as you possibly can to our situation," She continues, staying level-headed "Maybe you can even find a few friends while you're at it."

"It's all adjustments, kiddo." Dad suddenly chimes in, his eyes still on the TV "Just think of it like that, making adjustments."

I huff and scoff in response to both of them and immediately turn away, trying not to look at either of them as they try to talk to me like some dangerous criminal with a gun. Quietly, I cross my arms over my chest as they leave the railing.

" _Sure_." I reluctantly agree " _Adjustments_."

Mama claps her hands together in a cheerful way, probably giving me an empty smile as she tries her damnedest to beam at me.

"I'm glad you're on board, honey." She tells me

"Yeah, we were getting worried that you were gonna become a hermit." Dad jokes, trying to make me lighten up

"Hush, Dale." Mama hisses

"I'm just trying to help, Hen." He protests

I glance back down to them through the corner of my eye, watching as Mama glares at Dad, who watches her with an expression that I can't see. It takes a moment of Mama watching him, giving him the stink-eye before she looks back up at me.

"We're leaving for the barbecue in a few minutes," Mama tells me dismissively "How about you go get ready?"

I roll my eyes in response as Mama doesn't even wait for me to pass the corner before she walks over to Dad to whisper-yell her piece of whatever. Instead of focusing on them, I focus on silently questioning why my mother bothered to take off her shoes if we were leaving so soon. But, I just respond with a gentle groan of fake protest before disappearing back down the hallway and into my room. I refrain from slamming the door shut behind me and instead force myself to turn around and close it nicely. Now annoyed, I trudge over to my bed, where I turn my stereo back up and throw myself onto the mattress. It was all that I could really do to procrastinate at this point, besides finishing my sandwich, which I totally do anyway.

After finishing my sandwich and lying in bed a few minutes longer, I finally decide that I don't have much to procrastinate with any longer. Finally, I push myself off the bed and slide off of it, opting to make my way over to the closet. The lyrics to a random song continue to blast from behind me and I hum along to it as I stop and kneel down at my dresser. The one that I had placed in the large closet. After opening and sorting through a few drawers, I finally pull out a rather particularly distressed grey shirt, one that had a crude drawing of a black dog with sharp teeth on it. Underneath the small drawing, the words "the vicious dog sees you" were printed the writing equally black, save for the "sees" part, which was red. After setting that to my side, a.k.a, tossing it over my shoulder, I rummage a bit more through my drawers, before pulling out some navy blue skinny jeans. Then, after throwing that over my shoulder as well, I open another drawer and tug out a random pair of socks that were completely different heights and some underwear.

I shut the drawers I had left open and stand up, stripping at the speed of light— Just kidding. I took my sweet ass time, and put on the clothes that I had chosen for the evening ahead. I bob my head a couple times and tap my foot as I dance around the room, doing my best to balance dancing and successfully dressing.

"[First Name]!" I just barely hear Dad shout up the stairs "Are you ready up there?"

_No_

"Yeah!" I call back over my music

Hurriedly, I jump around, struggling to get my jeans on as I trip and stumble about. I even fall a couple times, which makes a bunch of really loud thumps that I can hear even with my music blasting.

"Make sure you bring a jacket just in case we're still there when it's late and chilly!" Dad adds "Don't want you to get sick, kiddo!"

I finally button and zip my jeans up, a victorious smile on my face as I stare down at them. After I was satisfied with my internal gloating, I walk over to my closet and grab a random grey hoodie and black jacket. I slip the hoodie on and just decide to carry the jacket around. I throw it over my shoulder and hurry over to my door, that I swiftly throw open and close softly behind me.

"If you don't hurry up then we're leaving without you!" Dad jokes

"Dale!" I hear Mama hiss once more

" _What_ , Hen?" Dad suddenly snaps

I round the corner to see them glaring at each other from where they stood in front of the door. My dad was wearing his usual suspenders and his bowtie over a thin pinstripe dress shirt with dress pants while mom was wearing a crinkled floral dress and a cardigan wrapped over her shoulders. Were they wearing that stuff before? I have no idea. Either way I release a small groan. If they were gonna be like this then maybe I should just fight my way into staying home.

Mama immediately goes back to smiling when she hears my response and clasps her hands together. She gruffly elbows Dad in the side, prompting a small "oof" noise from him as he places a hand over the spot. I watch as Dad releases a warm and almost forced out chuckle once he notices me.

"Lookin' good, kiddo." He remarks with finger guns

I look down at my outfit, stretching my arms out. My eyes scan the outfit as I try to decide whether I really liked it too and, I guess I did. But, soon enough I tore my eyes away from my attire to look back up at them, silently acknowledging how they dressed like they were going to church on a Sunday, and how I looked like I was ready to go to, to– Hell, I don't even know. Forget the analogy.

"I thought we were going to a barbecue," I joke back at him "Not church."

Dad snickers a bit at this as Mama purses her lips into a small line. I finally move away from the railing so that I could round the corner and make my way down the stairs. Dad ruffles my hair as I take a moment to put on a pair of dirty combat boots. After straightening back up upon finishing tying my laces, I take a moment to watch as Mama finishes shrugging on her baby blue jacket.

"Everybody ready?" Dad asks

"Yes." Mama and I answer in unison, our tones varying greatly

Dad opens the door, coat already on. He ushers Mama and I outside first before he closes the front door and locks it behind him. Still shrouded in silence, we collectively walk over to the car sitting in the driveway and climb in, taking our time to get our seatbelts on and waiting for Dad to turn the engine on, which all takes very little time. The radio plays a random popular song in a dull hum, the music itself barely filling the tensely silent interior of our prison-on-wheels with its cheerful melodies. Whilst Dad keeps his eyes firmly on the road, obviously avoiding the possible gaze of my mother, and while Mama keeps her attention on the scenery outside of her passenger window, I choose to sink down in my seat. My eyes wander around the car, catching a glance from my Dad who would every-so-often allow his eyes to flicker up towards the rearview mirror so that he could give me a weak smile that just screamed exhaustion. A tight feeling in my chest causes me to force a very obviously painful smile back to him, before we both look away from each other and try to focus ourselves on something— _anything_  else.

I settle on staring out the window, feeling time pass as the scenery goes by. Song after song on the radio plays one after another with occasional banter from the host or with noise from a random commercial break. Homes of various sizes and colors pass by as we drive and stop, drive and stop, drive and stop, over and over again. The sky looming overhead remains a casual monotonous grey as I relax into lying my heavy head against the window, my temple pressing against the cool glass as I space out.

I grow closer to falling asleep whilst the homes surrounding the road grow further and further apart, the lawns getting bigger as forest area makes itself known behind house after house. Finally, after seeing no house anywhere's nearby, we turn down a road that leads us to a very large 4 story Victorian-style home. The house itself was colored rather deepish purple with warm black linings, a black roof and a strangely shiny, very large wooden porch. It felt like a mansion to me, even though it couldn't have more than, I don't even  _know_ how many rooms! The fucking thing was like the godzilla of the houses I'd seen around Derry, but one of the slightly smaller, more modest houses in [Hometown]. Windows were all over the place and there were like, three bay windows just in the front and they were arranged in a triangle formation. There were two on the bottom floor and one over the door in the second story, where the balcony existed. The whole thing was so huge! Plus, since it was in the more secluded farm-type area of Derry, it was able to loom over the neatly trimmed lawn around it. There were a couple trees in front of the house, ones that stretched higher than the house itself, while the back and sides was surrounded by forest all throughout behind the generously fenced-in area.

"Oh my god." I whisper out before I can stop myself


End file.
